Family Dinner Ideas: 25 Weeknight Dinners Kids Eat
Pizzas, tacos, pasta bakes, and skillet dinners the whole family actually finishes: 25 editor-picked USDA recipes with full nutrition and ratings.
These are 25 weeknight dinners from the USDA MyPlate Kitchen picked for a family table: pizzas, tacos, and pasta bakes. Each one shows its food groups, nutrition, and the rating home cooks gave it.
Family Dinner Ideas: 25 recipes
- Pasta Primavera (314 cal, 10.5 g protein)
- Anytime Pizza (176 cal, 10.1 g protein)
- Salmon Patties (178 cal, 20.5 g protein)
- 2-Step Chicken (149 cal, 15.2 g protein)
- Terrific Bean Taco (263 cal, 8.8 g protein)
- 20-Minute Chicken Creole (132 cal, 13.3 g protein)
- Vegetable and Turkey Stir Fry (301 cal, 37.9 g protein)
- Baked Chicken with Vegetables (296 cal, 27.2 g protein)
- Baked Chicken Nuggets (234 cal, 28.8 g protein)
- Rice with Chicken | Arroz con Pollo (415 cal, 30.5 g protein)
- Mushroom Steak Fajitas (451 cal, 29.2 g protein)
- Chicken Mole (238 cal, 26.4 g protein)
- Bean Enchiladas (224 cal, 10.4 g protein)
- Black Bean Quesadillas (214 cal, 13.3 g protein)
- Quick and Easy Pizza (410 cal, 18.7 g protein)
- Enchilada Rice (296 cal, 19 g protein)
- Chicken Spaghetti (398 cal, 33.8 g protein)
- Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken (202 cal, 28.3 g protein)
- Pasta Bolognese (509 cal, 30.9 g protein)
- Mushroom Beef Sloppy Joes (274 cal, 12.9 g protein)
- One Pan Spaghetti (317 cal, 18.4 g protein)
- Fish Tacos (204 cal, 24 g protein)
- Classic Macaroni and Cheese (183 cal, 10.7 g protein)
- Soft Chicken Taco (173 cal, 16.7 g protein)
- Skillet Lasagna (336 cal, 21.3 g protein)
What makes this list
We read every main dish in the 1,072-recipe library and picked 25 that suit a full table on a weeknight: pizzas, tacos, pasta bakes, and skillet dinners. They're sorted by community rating, highest first.
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Family dinner ideas FAQ
What can I make for family dinner?
Familiar, shareable mains win with a mixed table: pizza, tacos, a pasta bake, or a one-pan skillet dinner. Every recipe here is a proven crowd-pleaser from the MyPlate Kitchen, with the full ingredients and nutrition so you can match it to your family.
What are some easy family dinner ideas?
Sheet-pan chicken and vegetables, quick quesadillas, bean tacos, and one-pan spaghetti are among the simplest here. Each lists its full ingredients and step-by-step directions, so you can see how much work it takes before you start.
Are these family dinners healthy?
They're USDA MyPlate Kitchen recipes built around the Dietary Guidelines, and each shows its full nutrition and food-group coverage. That makes it easy to round out a family favorite with a vegetable side and keep the plate balanced.
How do I please picky eaters at dinner?
Start with dishes kids know (pizza, mac and cheese, tacos, chicken nuggets) and add vegetables to them, as several of these recipes already do. Every card shows its food groups, so you can see which dishes include vegetables or fruit.